Judge suppresses evidence against suspected Butler drug dealer

12:00 PM,
Nov. 28, 2012

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A judge today suppressed all evidence that Butler police seized in 2009 from a suspected drug dealer and his home after concluding his wife gave "clear and credible" testimony that she was coerced into consenting to a search of their house.

The ruling by Superior Court Judge Robert Gilson in Morristown effectively ends the case against Fabio Chavez, 43, unless the Morris County Prosecutor's Office files an appeal and gets the suppression decision overturned.

The judge, who had presided over an evidentiary hearing in September on defense lawyer Michael Kelly's motion for suppression of ...